civilize

[siv-uh-lahyz] /ˈsɪv əˌlaɪz/

verb (used with object), civilized, civilizing.

to bring out of a savage, uneducated, or rude state; make civil; elevate in social and private life; enlighten; refine:

Rome civilized the barbarians.

Also, especially British, civilise.

Origin

1595-1605; < French civiliser; see civil, -ize

Related forms

civilizable, adjective

civilizatory

[siv-uh-lahy-zuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˌsɪv əˈlaɪ zəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/ (Show IPA), adjective

civilizer, noun

decivilize, verb (used with object), decivilized, decivilizing.

noncivilizable, adjective

overcivilize, verb, overcivilized, overcivilizing.

uncivilizable, adjective

uncivilize, verb (used with object), uncivilized, uncivilizing.

Synonyms

educate, teach, instruct, polish, sophisticate.

Examples from the web for civilize

They are the new homesteaders, trying to civilize a wasteland at the end of the world.
Picking the right moment to civilize it and shape it, though, is chancy.
The big story is not the push to modernize but the struggle to civilize, to curb the bestial side of human nature.
But that aside, things were loose and informal in the frontier settlements even as folks struggled to civilize their surroundings.

British Dictionary definitions for civilize

civilize

/ˈsɪvɪˌlaɪz/

verb (transitive)

to bring out of savagery or barbarism into a state characteristic of civilization

to refine, educate, or enlighten

Derived Forms

civilizable, civilisable, adjective
civilizer, civiliser, noun

Word Origin and History for civilize

c.1600, "to bring out of barbarism," from French civiliser, verb from Old French civil (adj.), from Latin civilis "relating to a citizen, relating to public life, befitting a citizen; popular, affable, courteous" (see civil). Meaning "become civilized" is from 1868. Related: Civilized; civilizing.